| The job of a fire marshal in the United | | | | A government official, a mysterious fire, a |
| States is often like the job of a private | | | | political radical, a confrontation. In most |
| investigator: thankless and fascinating. But | | | | situations, this would be a clear opportunity |
| a private investigator's role is usually | | | | for power and authority to assume their |
| punitive: figure out who's scamming the | | | | roles, for the government official to make |
| insurance company, say, or where the | | | | clear, punitive statements. But that's not |
| ex-convict who broke parole ran to. A good | | | | what Maldonado--a fire marshal, after all, |
| fire marshal, on the other hand, never | | | | did. |
| forgets one critical rule: fire safety comes | | | | |
| first, no matter what. | | | | "To the person or persons responsible for |
| | | | this crime I would like to relay a message," |
| Paul Maldonado, fire marshal for the State of | | | | said Maldonado in the same conference. "We |
| Texas, was called in to investigate the | | | | are concerned with your safety." |
| recent fire at the Austin mansion of Governor | | | | |
| Rick Perry. In retrospect, it must have | | | | He went on to explain: the video footage |
| seemed inevitable that the building would be | | | | showed a man with some experience throwing |
| targeted for arson. Perry, former lieutenant | | | | incendiary devices. Fire is a terrible thing |
| Governor under President Bush, inherited much | | | | to experiment with, warned Maldonado. The |
| of the ill will that the student population | | | | arsonist chose a dangerous means of sending a |
| in Austin held for the Texas Republicans, and | | | | message to the governor--dangerous not only |
| his reign as Governor was marked by | | | | to the mansion, but to the arsonist. And |
| occasional scandal and a rising discontent | | | | more: Maldonado said that he appreciated, |
| among the electorate. The 2007 announcement | | | | above all, the willingness of the arsonist to |
| that the Governor's mansion would be | | | | wait until the Governor was away, until the |
| remodeled to the tune of $10 | | | | mansion was deserted, to set his fire. |
| million--including a state-of-the-art fire | | | | |
| suppression system--must have been, in | | | | "We will not forget that," the fire marshal |
| retrospect, the last straw. On the night of | | | | said. |
| June 8, 2008, that straw burst into flames. | | | | |
| | | | The investigation goes on, of course. But |
| Maldonado and his video surveillance team | | | | what it reveals about the investigator is |
| knew who the suspect was--roughly, of course. | | | | almost more fascinating than the eventual |
| He fit the established profile: young, | | | | identity of the culprit. It's rare to find a |
| twenty-something, athletic. Angry, even. In | | | | public official who truly concerns himself |
| a press conference, Maldonado proposed that | | | | with what's really important in criminal |
| this anger was the cause of the arson. He | | | | matters: the threat to public safety, and the |
| might be angry "at the death penalty-- and | | | | value of human life. It takes a fire |
| other political issues," Maldonado said. | | | | marshal, in the end, to say that he |
| "His feelings of anger and frustration will | | | | appreciates his quarry for valuing human |
| be noted by people who know him." | | | | life. |
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